New Delhi. Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Saturday said piracy has ‘reemerged as an industry’ in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the Houthi rebels have not targeted any Indian-flagged ship. The Indian Navy on Saturday said it has ‘re-increased the scope of its maritime security operations since mid-December last year in view of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the maritime domain’.
Admiral Kumar addressed a press conference on the occasion of completion of 100 days of ongoing maritime security operations under the second phase of ‘Operation Sankalp’. He said piracy has ‘reemerged as an industry’ in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the Houthi rebels have not targeted any Indian-flagged ship.
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The first phase of Operation Sankalp started in 2019. It was originally intended to provide security to ships coming from the Persian Gulf, as there had been some attacks on ships there. “And, we maintained it with the constant presence of only one ship,” the Navy chief said.
Along with this, he said, “Once we got information about drones, missiles and ships being targeted by pirates, we renewed this ‘Operation Sankalp’ in the second phase which started in mid-December. “From the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden to the northern Arabian Sea and the sea off the east coast of Somalia, this is the area where we are operating, deploying these ships,” he said. So, our job is to ensure that there is safety and stability, so that our merchant ships carrying essential commodities can reach the shores safely.
In the past few months, several cargo ships have been attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and neighboring regions. When asked whether any Indian ship has been targeted by the Houthis at sea or has come close to being targeted, he said, ‘No Indian flag ship has been targeted by them.’ The Houthis are targeting any ship that has ties to Israel, whether it is Israeli-owned or Israeli-flagged, or sailing to Israel or linked to Israeli business houses, the navy chief told reporters. . This has been his aim.
When asked how long these operations would continue, he said, ‘Till the Indian Ocean region becomes safe.’ Admiral Kumar said, “You cannot put any deadline on this, but we will ensure that we are deployed there and take positive, proactive and constructive action to ensure that the area is safe.”
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Tags: Arabian Sea, indian navy
FIRST PUBLISHED: March 24, 2024, 06:42 IST